Hong’s Greek and Roman Mythology
Eunyoung Hong – Eunyoung Hong started her career as a cartoonist in 1986 with a comic entitled, The Silver Land. Since then, she has drawn many cartoons for young audiences in
Hong’s Greek and Roman Mythology (click here to view)
http://www.hongeunyoung.com/
Hong Eun-yeong: “Now it’s our turn to hit the
Mun Gap-sikStaff Reporter
The Chosun Ilbo
British author J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series of seven fantasy novels have sold 12 million copies in
Hong’s two-story Western-style house sitting right underneath the Geumjeong Mountain Fortress didn’t look like the birthplace of any myth. It didn’t even seem to have been cleaned properly. The empty ground floor was covered with dust. The walls and the ceiling were dark chestnut-colored and the stairs were creaking. In the garden overgrown with weeds,three big dogs were barking fiercely and cats ran here and there.
I asked Hong whether she had seen the movie “The Chaser” (Chugyeokja). She said no. When I said her house felt just like the house in the film, the 154cm-tall lady said, laughing silently, “So, what’s wrong?” Then, from three rooms around the hall, her 10 apprentices, all female, stuck out their heads.
― “The Silver Land” was your first work. What is it about?
“It’s based on ‘The Neverending Story’ by Michael Ende, the author of ‘Momo.’ It’s about a feebleminded boy embarking on an adventure to save the world of fantasy.”
― It was published in 1986, when you were 22 years old. It was an early debut.
“My husband wrote the storyline. I only drew pictures. It was my debut work but looking back, I think I knew nothing back then.”
― You published some more series, such as “Diamond of Tears,” afterwards.
“I worked to make a living. I had yet to build up my own cartoon world.”
― How much do you have to earn to make a living?
“I just need enough to eat three meals a day and enjoy some cultural life. If I work hard for a while I can make several tens of millions of won (a five-figure amount in dollars).”
― How much did you make for “The Silver Land” series?
“I was paid 400,000 won per volume. Top-class cartoonists got paid four million won per volume at the time.”
― You said it was before you built up your own cartoon world. Do you mean you copied anyone?
“Yes, I imitated, knowingly or unknowingly, the works by such famous cartoonists as Lee Hyun-se, Park Bong-sung or Huh Young-man. I think I had spent most of my time before ‘Greek and Roman Mythology in Cartoon’ overcoming the barriers to build my own world.”
― I understand that you entered the Christian Education Department of Kosin University in 1984, but dropped out after a single semester to become a cartoonist.
“I wanted to become a cartoonist since I was young. You know, parents jump up when their children say they want to become a cartoonist. So, in order to realize my dream and comply with my parents’ wishes, I applied to
― Were your parents stubborn?
“My father was a superb engineer. He once was a senior engineer at Hanjin Heavy Industries. He is a quiet man. He never beat us. It was my mother who flew into a rage.”
― Do other members of your family have plain jobs?
“No, they don’t. My younger sister (Hong Hye-young) is a pantomime actress and my younger brother (Hong Jong-myoung) is a gospel composer. We are all artistically inclined.”
― Did you begin drawing cartoons right after you left
“I began as a trainee of Ms. Kim Hye-rin. She’s only a few years older than I, but at the time she was already rated as one of the three top-class artists of ‘boy-meets-girl’ cartoons alongside
― Did it help you make a living?
“I drew nothing but background images the whole time.”
― I’ve heard your husband is also a cartoonist.
“He was originally an Oriental painter but later switched to cartoon drawing. Although he should still be active, he cannot paint or draw any more with nerve problems on his right hand.”
― When did you meet him for the first time?
“I came to know him during church camp in 1986.”
Hong’s husband, Cho Young-ki, 48, is a big man who stands 184cm tall and weighs more than 90kg. When he met a slender college dropout who said her dream was to become a cartoonist, he chided her, asking, “Why don’t you try drawing something?” The camp suddenly turned into a place to test drawing skills. When she asked what he wanted her to draw, he said she might try drawing a deer.
“Watching her draw a few lines, I thought this woman was born with a cartoonist’s DNA,” Cho said. “She would become a giant if she received systematic training. I decided on the spot to train her.” He trained her hard and a year later, in 1987, married her. Hong was then 23 years old. Watching the talkative husband and the reticent wife, I asked, “Did you force her to marry you under the pretext of teaching her?”
Both the husband and wife looked perplexed. A moment later, they said simultaneously, “We married because we liked each other.”
Cartoonists begin their training with “reverse anatomy.” They first draw all the bones of a human body. When a skeleton has been completed it is then covered with muscles. When all the muscles have been drawn they are then covered with flesh. When the body has been completed it is then covered with clothes. Without repeated practice of this process it is impossible to express natural movements of human bodies.
― When was the first volume of “Greek and Roman Mythology in Cartoon” published?
“The first volume came out in November 2000.”
― How long did it take to plan the series?
“I spent about three years planning only.”
― What do you mean by planning?
“Planning involves determining the storyline, dialogue and pictures. You must think hard about the drawing style, I mean, how to draw in a more appealing style.”
― In the process you don’t always agree with your husband, do you?
“We rarely fight. But once we start fighting it’s like a bloody war, especially when it has to do with work.”
― Why did you choose the Greek and Roman mythology?
“We started at the fin de siècle with its typical ambience. People want something fresh when a century is closing. So we came up with mythology and it turned out to be the right choice.”– When did you know the series hit the jackpot?
“I heard it did after the third and fourth volumes came out. I heard they had floods of inquiries about the following volumes.”
– What makes you think you hit the jackpot?
“Many gods and goddesses appear in the Greek and Roman mythology. There are over a hundred of them. Reading the stories from a book you keep forgetting the gods who had appeared earlier. In a cartoon the characters are easy to remember so you can follow the stories much more easily. In the past the Greek and Roman mythology was always on top of the list of recommended classics. The books were on the bookshelves in every home but few people actually read them cover to cover. My cartoon series attract readers because they can easily understand the difficult stories.”
– It cannot be easy to create 100 mythical characters.
“I brought sculptures and illustrations from abroad, carefully analyzed each of them and added contemporary feelings. For example, the mythical images don’t have a nose bridge, which is an unrealistic, divine attribution. So, I gave a nose bridge to all my characters.”
– It should be easier said than done. It must have been quite a job to draw 100 gods, each with a different appearance.
“You’re right. Poseidon, the god of the sea, should carry the image of the sea. So I gave him bubble-style hair. I stressed the classical image of Zeus, as he is the king of gods, the ruler of
– Apollo is the most handsome god. Did you mix the image of any movie star?
“Absolutely not.”
– Who is your favorite among the Greek or Roman mythological deities?
“I like every one of them. I can’t say I am particularly fond of any one.”
– But you must find certain parts to be particularly interesting.
“I should say the story of Hercules is interesting.”
– Could you pick any particular character that was the most difficult, or easiest, to create?
“No character was easier than others to make. Nor did I pull out my hair to make any one.”
– There are lots of promiscuous stories in the Greek and Roman mythology. How did you express them in your comic book? They could be harmful to children.
“No doubt I had to sex down such content. For example, Apollo is a womanizer but he is described as a good lover.”
– Why do you think the obscene mythology has been modified?
“Thomas Bulfinch reorganized the Greek and Roman mythology. Bulfinch was a stern Puritan. He probably worked under the influence of his religious faith. In fact, fables and myths are frequently rewritten like this. For example, in a certain original folk tale, Snow White, a favorite character of children, marries a prince whose occupation is a corpse collector. It’s very bizarre, isn’t it?”
Hong’s mythology cartoons are produced in two stages. Her original drawings are scanned and uploaded and then her apprentices color them on computer. Hong has started to use full color pictures for the first time. In the past cartoons had color only on important parts such as faces and clothes. Hong and her 10 apprentices put color on the pictures all day, working nonstop from morning until night except to eat.
Working day in and day out, Hong seemed to be utterly indifferent to all worldly affairs. She didn’t even remember when she married, where in
If things had gone as planned, Hong would have tackled Chinese and Sumerian mythologies after finishing the 20-volume series of the Greek and Roman mythology. But her dream to produce cartoons of all the world’s three greatest mythologies was halted due to the court fight over royalties. She recently won the lawsuit, but in the process lost a lot.
– What did you lose?
“Rumors circulated several times that I was dead. I could endure the false rumors but it’s really difficult to produce a completely new edition of ‘Greek and Roman Mythology in Cartoon,’ which has already been published. The revised edition is faithfully based on originals, not Thomas Bulfinch’s version.”
– Isn’t it tedious to remake a work already done?
“No, I don’t think so, because this is a completely different version.”
– A completely different version? What do you mean?
“It’s a different story with different pictures. The old version was based on a script provided by the publisher. But we are writing the script ourselves this time.” (Hong showed a latest edition of Greek and Roman Mythology published by Mamre Publishing Co. The gods in this book looked different from those in earlier books. They were drawn with far more complicated technique. Mamre is a Hebrew word meaning the “land of promise.”)
– What books do you mean by originals you are referring to these days?
“I mean the books written by Apollodorus and Hesiodos.”
– I heard that you suffered from a serious illness.
“Yes, it was Behcet’s disease. When I am overworked even a bit, it disturbs my immune system to cause violent outbreaks of inflammation on my skin. It can’t be cured completely. All I can do is take extra caution with food and exercise regularly. For exercise I just do stretching for about an hour every day. I was lucky because my sister-in-law, who is a nurse, found the symptom very early.”
– With your delicate health you must suffer a heavy blow after completing each project.
“Yes, I fall down as if I am fainting. So do all of my apprentices.”
– What’s your next challenge after the world’s three greatest mythologies?
“The Bible is very difficult to read. I think the Bible will be much easier to understand if it is made into a comic book.”
– You have so much interest in foreign mythologies. Have you ever thought of working on the myth of Dangun, our national founding forefather, or stories from “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms” (Samguk yusa)?
“Actually, all mythologies are accumulations of historical facts. I’m very interested in history. But national founding myths are different. They are more like fiction than history.”
– They say the earlier version of “Greek and Roman Mythology in Cartoon” was published in Chinese but its sales were suspended. Is this true?
“It was published by Writers Publishing House in
– Aren’t you frustrated?
“No, I’m not. My comic book series will be published in the
– Do you have any particular reason for targeting the British market?
“Any comic book that sells well in the
Before the royalty suit began, Hong had agreed on a 7 percent royalty fee from each sold copy. Given the royalty for a copy was 595 won and the total sales reached 20 million copies, she has made 12 billion won. But this cartoonist couple said they don’t have much money at home or in the bank. Though living in an old creaky house they never pass by the needy without helping them whoever they are. They also frequently give donations to several orphanages.
– As you don’t seem to care about anything except drawing cartoons, you are probably a flop in asset management.
“I’m content if I don’t starve. How can you spend all the money you make for yourself? You must help others.”
– You must save for your later life, don’t you?
“For my husband and me drawing cartoons is preparing for old age.”
– Many people have read your comic book on the Greek and Roman mythology. Have you ever been to
“No, I haven’t.
This was published under the heading “Korean Comics Arrive in Western Markets: An Interview with Jeeyeon Kim” by Nicholas Yanes over at SciFiPulse.net in March,2009. The link is: http://scifipulse.net/?p=6764
Doctor Jeeyeon Kim is a translator of Korean/English, the Head of Seoul Graphics and Project Manager for the English editions of Hong’s Classical Mythology: a Graphic Novel Series. After completing her undergraduate degree in English Literature and Language in
Nicholas Yanes: As an American, I’ve been mostly exposed to superhero comic books. What are the popular comic book genres in
Doctor Jeeyon Kim: It’s quite difficult to pin down a specific genre as the representative of the Korean Manhwa, because it presents a variety of genres. Varied cartoons have been introduced through varied comics magazines and popular Internet sites. Recent development in Webtoons (cartoons read on the Internet) has also made Korean Manhwa varied and diverse in terms of their contents and media in which they are delivered. Famous genres are: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Science Fiction, Erotica, Horror, Action, Sports and Historical Drama, but I shouldn’t omit Educational Comics for children here, as they have been prominent in the comics industry in
Yanes: Outside of genre conventions, how are Korean comic books physically different from western comic books?
Doctor Kim: Most Korean comics tend to be in the book form, contrary to the booklets seen at the book shelf in the Comics shop. The comic books from
Yanes: Before we get into the specifics of Hong’s Classical Mythology is there anything in particular that Westerners should know about Korean comics?
Doctor Kim: Korean Manhwas are increasingly attracting international audiences. Publishers all over the world are actively seeking to translate works from
It means currently there are so many brilliant titles veiled in
Yanes: Hong’s Classical Mythology deals heavily with Greek Mythology. Do you believe that your stories bring anything new to these classic stories?
Doctor Kim: While Classical Mythology: A Graphic Novel Series are taken from the classical texts, they are reproduced for a modern audience and young readers in a more reader friendly style and with vivid imagery. I also hope I’ve rendered the stories of the ancient Greeks in a form that is relevant to modern knowledge.
Yanes: The stories are translated from Korean to English. Is there anything lost or gained in translation?
Doctor Kim: Translation is a creative process, like any other writing. The linguistic difference between English and Korean is huge, as well as the cultural difference that the languages are associated with. I’m sure every translator will agree there are cases when the translator needs to make decisions to discard or expand words as necessary to make stories flow. While I aim to be faithful to the meaning of the original text, I wouldn’t deny some changes have taken place.
Yanes: Eunyoung Hong’s art is beautiful. Is it a typical style among Korean comics art?
Doctor Kim: At a first glance, most people recognize Hong’s style as Japanese Manga, but I know many Japanese cartoon artists have approached Mrs. Hong, wanting to learn her art style. So I wouldn’t say Korean or Japanese. It will be Hong’s style.
Yanes: I’ve heard Hong’s Classical Mythology was a phenomenon in terms of book selling. Can you tell us how many copies were sold in
Kim: As the genre of children’s book, the previous edition of Hong’s CM was sold over ten million copies in
Yanes: You’re in a unique position in that you are trying to find an English publisher for a Korean series. What has this experience taught you about the comic book industry?
Doctor Kim: I only take works which are worth translating. Translating and trying to locate the right publisher as well as representing the work have been most challenging experience for me, especially in an era when the economic downturn is affecting businesses. Few projects like mine have been done in English, only by advanced publishers like First Second. The comic book industry is conservative in accepting new materials. However, it has been an absolute privilege to make friends in the comic industry, each of whom I found incredibly talented and human. I’ve received a lot of help from them. I’m glad I’m in this industry, even though I can’t draw.
Yanes: There is a large number of academics that study comic books. How do you think academics should approach Hong’s Classical Mythology?
Doctor Kim: Hong’s Classical Mythology can be regarded as an academic book on its own. The guide books that accompany the series are informative and educational in writing style.
When I was doing my PhD, I had the two most hard-to-please supervisors, who demanded accuracy and precision in the writing. They used to make me write ten times for one submission. I’d be lying if I don’t fear criticism from academics in this sense. But just as Hong reincarnated classical figures into colorful cartoon characters, I did transfer difficult classical texts into easy, reader-friendly writings. Although Hong’s series targets the 11 plus age group, I would like them to be enjoyed by adults too. By adults, I also mean academics of classical texts.
Yanes: Finally, if you wanted fans of Hong’s Classical Mythology to add false information to one Wikipedia entry, what entry and what information would you want added?
Doctor Kim: The best ever reference created by a brilliant cartoonist and a crazy translator, who enabled the novice reader to pretend the mastered knowledge of the Classical Mythology. Then it won’t be false information, will it?
